Yes. Yes it is.
The Re-Farmer
fun
Dead Wood Down, and cat models
With yesterday’s heat, I did not head out until the evening, to clean up the piles of wood I’d cleared out the day before. We had caught just the edge of the storm that night, with some rain and high winds, but nothing near as bad as the areas to the south of us. Some places got tennis ball sized hail, and there were power outages in places.
When I got to where I’d left the cut wood, I noticed a branch, just off by itself, but still near the pile of deadwood. Had I missed it, somehow how?
Then I looked up.
The big maple tree reaches out over this area, and it has a lot of dead branches. One of them was broken in the high winds we got, and the bigger part of it got hung up on other dead branches.
Lovely.
After I clearer away the piles of wood, I added another length to the extended pruning saw. I was able to pull down the dangling branch, then with the extra length, was able to cut down two dead branches.
The first one was the one at the bottom of the dangling branch you can see in the picture above. The other was a larger one, that you can see part of, above the big, thick main branch. That one was being partly held up by the main branch.
You can see all three branches, here. The big one, as it got hung up on the main branch on the way down, basically exploded, sending side branches and twigs all over the place! (That would be Rolando Moon, in the background. :-D )
After taking out the big branches, I filled two wheelbarrows with small branches and twigs, just from here!
We had a wiener roast shortly after, and when we were done eating, I stayed longer to clear both wheelbarrows. :-)
While we were having our cook out, we got visited by Nasty Crime Boy, who decided that one of the folding chairs we brought out would be a great place to hang out.
When my daughter came closer with her phone to take pictures, he was very curious about the whole thing, sticking his face up to the phone, then reaching out to grab her with his paws!
Too adorable. :-D
I ended up staying out several hours, tending the fire and watching the sun setting behind the trees while listening to the renter’s cows mooing, with frogs and cranes, croaking in the distance. By the time the girls came out to check on me, it was fully dark except for the glowing coals in the fire pit.
Life is good.
The Re-Farmer
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First Wiener Roast of the year!
Last night, we decided to take advantage of the lovely evening, and have our first wiener 
roast of the year! :-D
When I was a kid, we used to have these quite often. I would go into the bush with a machete-type knife (we even found it while packing away my parents’ stuff!) and cut dogwood branches for roasting sticks. They were perfect for it, naturally growing long, straight and supple. Sometimes, I could get ones with a perfect Y shape. The bark came off easily, and I would strip off the top several inches, then sharpen them to points.
At the end of the day, we’d get a fire going, roast wieners and stuff our faces with hot dogs, then finish off with marshmallows. When we were done eating, it would be quite dark, and we would start burning our roasting sticks until the tips were glowing, then wave them around in the dark, using the red tips to create shapes of light in the air.
Sometimes, my parents hosted parties, and their friends from the city would come out with their kids, and there would be dozens of people all over. Most of the time, though, it was just us kids. We had a blast!
Thanks to the burning my daughter and I did earlier, when I cleared the yard to mow the lawn, I had a nice pile of sticks ready to set up for a fire. We brought the hose (of course) and chairs. We were thinking of moving the picnic table over, but it’s in serious need of cleaning, so the girls brought out one of our small folding tables, instead.
We’re going to have to invest in metal roasting forks soon. I picked up a package of wooden roasting sticks along with the S’mores kit, and they are a bit too flammable and bouncy! :-D
I had hoped my husband could join us, even if just to sit on his walker while we roasted wieners for him, but he had to lie down for the night, before we even started. :-(
It got to watch a beautiful sunset while we set up and got the fire going.
I’m going to have to get out there with the weed trimmer. *L*
The outside cats were all over the place, checking out what we were doing! Rolando Moon staked out a spot on the log pile to watch us. The hose sprays water at where two hoses join, and at the nozzle, and the cats played with the spray!
At one point, while I was sitting and eating, Rolando Moon actually jumped up onto my knee! That’s a first. Even the friendliest ones are still quite stand offish, so this is a big step in at least Rolando Moon’s comfort levels with us.
Ah… perfect for toasting those wieners!
We made some S’mores – that’s something we never did when I was a kid. I didn’t even hear of them until after I had my own kids.
I find I really enjoy toasting marshmallows, and getting that perfect state of golden brown on the outside, and all melty on the inside.
Problem with that is, I don’t actually enjoy eating them. Too sweet!
None of us are all that big on sweets, so while the hot dogs disappeared quickly, there’s still lots of S’more making supplies! :-D
Best part was, the entire night, we only saw one mosquito!
There is at least that one benefit to the dry spring we had!
After a while, we just hung out to watch the fire die down.
I hope we will be able to do this often. Even if we don’t have wiener roasts, to at least get a fire going and enjoy the evening. We have a lot of wood we need to use up, and will be adding more as the clean up continues, so why not? :-D
It was a fantastic evening!
The Re-Farmer
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What is it? A Guessing Game
Today, we went around the vehicle graveyard with a scrap dealer that my mom called, to check out what is here that might be hauled away. Among the old farm equipment was this. Can you guess what it is, or what it does.
Here is the front of the device.
And here is a look at the other side.
I have fond memories of using this thing!
The Re-Farmer
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Windblown
Oh, what a windy day it has been, today!
Hot, as well. It’s past 6pm as I write this, and our temperatures are at 28C (82F). Inside the house it much cooler, though, which is awesome! We were actually cold last night.
Speaking of temperatures, I asked one of my brothers about the remote sensor on the clothes line pole. It is, indeed, for weather. He found a photo of the complete set, so we know what the receiver inside would have looked like. It had the time, temperature and other information displayed on it. I don’t recall packing anything like that, but we packed so many things, I doubt I would have noticed something the looks like a digital clock. He thinks it was set up by our late brother, which means the remote sensor has been out there for more than 8 years – probably more like 10.
So that mystery has been cleared up. :-)
This morning, we discovered a bit of wind damage in the spruce grove outside our living room window.
The piece stuck in the branches is actually the top of the dead spruce tree on the right. The top was already broken, but this part was broken free in the wind. I did a check around the yard and, aside from smaller branches in the yard here and there, there was nothing else broken. I kept an eye on it throughout the morning, and by afternoon, the wind had shaken it loose from the branches holding it, enough that it’s not standing upright on the ground, looking for all the world like it had grown there.
A run into town to pick up prescription refills was an opportunity for my daughter and I to play some Pokemon Go and check out the lake.
One of our regular stops is at this park near the marina, where the van was buffeted by the wind, and we watched as several of these sail boats were blown right over onto their sides, help up only by other boats, before rocking back again.
We also stopped to visit the beach, which was being groomed today. You can see the equipment for in the distance.
On the way home, we stopped at the post office, and part of my younger daughter’s birthday gift came in. Her birthday is next month, but we’ve never held much to the days themselves, and spread out our recognition over time. Which means she got her gift right away. :-)
A very pretty set of throwing knives! We’ve already discussed where we’d want to set up a target for practicing. We would like to get an archery butt, and have found the perfect place to set it up. Eventually, we want to get into archery again. My husband and I used to shoot regularly, before we had kids. I shot recurve, my husband shot a compound. The girls are interested, too, so this would be a family affair. :-)
Well, the sky is getting dark outside my window. I’m hoping that means the predicted rains (only 40% chance, though) will finally come. If not today, by Friday, they are saying there is an 80% chance of showers, 60% chance on Thursday. Any little bit will help. I found out this morning that there was another fire to the Northeast of us yesterday. In the early evening, some buildings were lost. From what I’m told, the land had just changed ownership, and no one was living there, so at least it wasn’t someone’s home that was lost. I hope the new owners had insurance, though. There were still hot spots going today, and in these winds, there is extreme danger of sparks jumping the road. At the moment, the general fire ban still allows for fire pits and BBQs, but if we don’t get rain, I foresee that changing soon. At least the winds are dying down, as the evening progresses, but I’m still seeing trees swaying out my window.
We shall see what tomorrow brings us.
The Re-Farmer
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Beach Weather!
The girls and I had to make a run into town for them to pick up and sign their tax paperwork (no unhappy surprises for them, thank God!). It was a gorgeous day, so when we took advantage of being in town to play some Pokemon Go, we also took advantage of a Pokemon Go gym being right at the beach.
It’s 21C in town, and the cool breezes off the lake made it perfect for enjoying the sun and sand! There were quite a few people enjoying it. Come summer time, when the tourist season kicks in, this beach gets quite crowded, so I much prefer to visit it now!
My younger daughter decided to go right into the water – as did others we saw on the beach. The ambient temperature might have been nice, but the lake water is still ice cold!
You can just barely see it in the above picture, but there is actually still ice on the lake, way off in the distance – the tiniest patch visible near the top left of the photo. To the right of centre, you can see someone in a power boat.
One of the places we regularly stop to play Pokemon Go is the parking lot for a park, the yacht club, and marina. Today, there was a whole forest of masts on the hillside of the park, as people were bringing over tiny sailboats to prepare them. We could see more being brought over as we played the game, easily carried by only two people. The parking lot itself was quite full of people tending to their boats, both for commercial fishing and for casual use.
The population of this town basically doubles in the summer, with all the people who come out to their cottages, some for a couple of months, others just for the weekends from the city.
When it’s quiet like this, I like to keep on the lookout for interesting rocks, such as “fairy stones” (rocks with holes in them, typically bored by local bivalves, the shells of which also dot the beach) and sometimes small fossils that get driven onto the beach by the tides as the ice melts. Yes, this lake is large enough to have a tide.
This is one of the things about the move back that I am looking forward to enjoying!
The Re-Farmer
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What is this? The Answer is…
Here is the answer to yesterday’s guessing game.
The mystery equipment sitting in our maple grove is…
… A garden row marker.
In the above picture, you see the handle. One would step inside it, and hold the bar in front while dragging the rest behind.
Do you see the points? There are three of them that would drag on the ground, creating three lines in the soil. When the next pass was made, one of the outer markers would be dragged along in one of the previously marked lines, so that the other two new rows marked would be evenly spaced.
Seeds would be planted in the resulting lines in the soil.
When I was a kid, I remember one of these my dad had made out of wood. I don’t know who made this metal version, though I would guess it was my late brother, using bits and pieces from other equipment and whatever else was handy.
How close was your guess?
The Re-Farmer
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Cats, cats, cats!
Definitely not feeling well today.
Woke up and discovered I’d lost most of my voice, and what speaking I could still do had me sounding like Barry White.
It was a beautiful day, though. My husband actually made it outside. Not only that, but he was able to walk to the end of the driveway and back. Twice!
Okay, that second time was pushing it a bit, and he did have to stop and sit in his walker a couple of times, but it’s the first time he’s been out of the house, aside from doctor’s appointments, in months.
While out, I took a look at the area in front of the shed where we are storing my mother’s stuff. Right around it, things are clear of snow and dry, but there is a large area of water and ice that I’d have to drive through to get to it. We probably could still do it, but I’d rather not deal with all that water while hauling household goods. I’ll check it again in a few days.
Not feeling well meant getting some quality time catching up on projects – I finished a rope basket I was making and got it blocking, along with another basket I’d made a while back, with a lid. I’m testing out a stiffening method that uses Epsom salts.
Blocking 3 dimensional objects is definitely a challenge. The round basket and its lid have a forest of bamboo skewers sticking out of it!
I also got a couple of beaded bracelets done. Need to get my Etsy shop going again, and new inventory is always a good thing.
Which all meant I was near the living room window for much of the day, and finally got photos. Along with the deer, I got cats, cats and more cats!
And a story, in pictures.
Nasty Crime Boy: So there I am, munching on a rodent, minding my own business…
Nasty Crime Boy: … when suddenly BAM!!! I get attacked! Like, out of the blue, Man!
Nasty Crime Boy: And then he was gone, just like that. And I was like… whoa. What just happened, Man?
Squishum: I know nothing.
Squishum: The leaf! I caught it! I have vanquished mine enemy! Bwahahahaha!!
Trüllbus the Crime Eater: I am not associated with those guys over there. I just want my sun spot.
The Hand disapproves.
The Re-Farmer
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A New Furry Friend! Plus techie updates
This morning, I had an appointment with my cousin, who had replaced the water pump on my van a while back. That would be the one that the garage is saying needs to be replaced, and that it was loose.
The water pump is fine. And if it weren’t, it’s still under warranty, and he’d be fixing it, at his own cost.
Also, that small coolant leak?
Has stopped leaking. This one, I saw leaking myself. I guess it just needed some time after work was done.
I told him about what had been happening with the coolant, getting the thermostat changed, then discovering the coolant had been leaking out the back. He commented that it was too bad they’d changed the thermostat – but it still might have needed to be changed, considering the age of the vehicle.
Everything checked out fine. My alternator is making a slight whining noise. He told me that I only needed to be concerned if it started to get louder. Which might not happen for a year, even. It would be an expensive job to do, because of how difficult it is to get to, so there’s no point in doing it now.
I also asked him about the stalling problem. When we first start the vehicle, it sometimes stalls right away. I start it again, while giving it a bit of gas, and it’s fine. He talked to me about the sensor and how, on starting, the onboard computer checks all the sensors. It could just be reading a lack of oxygen or something, but if I just give it a bit of gas while starting it, it should be fine. Nothing wrong; just a bit inconvenient. Replacing the sensor would be very expensive.
His recommendation? Change nothing. If there’s a problem with the water pump, which he can’t find, he will change it, at no cost to me. There is nothing to prevent us from taking longer trips, like going to the city and back. Not that we can do that, since our budget has been completely blown by all the work done on the van, but it’s a relief, to be sure.
I’m going to have to have a talk with the garage about that water pump recommendation.
As I was typing this, my husband just updated me. We got a notice in the mail from our satellite internet provider. They have access to a new satellite, which can offer increased upload and download speeds and less stuttering in service. There is also the option to upgrade plans with higher data. Which we don’t need right now, since we got two accounts to get the higher data that we do have. I don’t mind that too much, since one of the accounts will be something my daughter can claim on her taxes next year.
In about a week, we’ll get a call from a technician to come over and align the satellite dishes to the new satellite.
So that’ll be nice.
After I got home from getting the van checked, I was in my crochet corner, working on a new basket, when I noticed Hungry Girl coming up to the feed. And oh, look – there’s Barbecue over by the trees.
No. That’s Barbecue coming up now…
They brought a new friend with them!
A strange new friend…
My first thought was that was an odd sun dappling pattern.
Where there is no sun to dapple.
Wait a minute…
Sure enough, it turned out to be a piebald deer!
Clearly, a deer they were completely comfortable with. There was no animosity of any kind, like we see when Mama and the Twins or Detail and her boy come by.
There’s even a little big of it on her other side.
What a remarkable looking deer! I’ve never seen anything like this before. I’ve seen photos of albino deer, but that’s it.
Eventually, they left because of the cats. I hope the new one comes back! We’re thinking of calling her Patches. :-D
The Re-Farmer
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Day of the Cats
Today, outside our window, it was cats, cats, cats!
I got to see Beep Beep trying for a bird. She did not succeed. Nor did the several of them that were interested in the very noisy squirrel! :-D
We got a couple of pictures of Nasty Crime Boy enjoying a nap in his favorite place, while Rolando Moon was on her favorite place on the junk pallet pile. Beep Beep and Butterscotch came to play, Trülbus made faces at us, while Squishum got rude and turned her back on us! Only The Hand neglected to make an appearance – at least when we were there to see.
:-D
The Re-Farmer
The Re-Farmer 